Vehicles such as automobiles, trucks, buses, vans, ferries, etc. are frequently used by more than one individual either at the same time or sequentially. For example, a bus or shuttle will typically include a number of passengers at one time while a fleet vehicle or rental vehicle may be used by a single individual at a time, but by different drivers for different trips. In either instance, it is not uncommon for the owner/operator of the vehicle to prohibit smoking in the vehicle since the smoke is detrimental to the health not only of the individual smoking but to others in the vehicle. Moreover, the odor that remains in the vehicle makes the vehicle less desirable for future users of the vehicle.
In a scenario with a bus driver and a number of passengers, the bus driver can enforce a ban on smoking. When the vehicle is, e.g., a rental vehicle, there may not be an individual in the vehicle to enforce the ban on smoking. Moreover, as self-driving vehicle technology matures and the industry evolves toward level 5 autonomous driving, new business models can be expected to develop. These new business models may include self-driving taxis and shuttles.
Accordingly, these vehicles will be shared among strangers, like any other public transportation, and will not have a mechanism for monitoring/enforcing a ban on smoking.
If smoking does occur in a vehicle which is shared amongst multiple individuals, the owner of the vehicle is frequently left with the expense of fumigating the passenger space of the vehicle. It would be beneficial to be able to pass this cost on to the individuals responsible for the smoking. In a vehicle which is simultaneously shared amongst strangers, however, it can be difficult to identify which of the strangers is responsible for the smoking event.
What is needed therefore is a system which automatically detects smoking in a passenger space of a vehicle. It would be beneficial if the system could be used to positively identify the individual responsible for the smoking event. It would be further beneficial for such a system to provide a warning to occupants of the vehicle that smoking had been detected so as to prompt the occupant(s) to cease smoking.